Outsiders as Insiders

Week Two - Day 7

Today's Reading -- Luke 7:1 to Luke 8:56

As Jesus’ ministry moves from instruction back to action, Luke makes it clear that Jesus is willing to reach out and include all people.  First he receives an appeal to heal the slave of a centurion, a member of the Roman occupying power; but the centurion also had a heart for the Jewish nation.  Although a gentile, he had generously helped to build the local synagogue in Capernaum.  His sympathies would probably make him a “seeker” inclined towards the faith of the people.  That Jesus commends the centurion’s faith as surpassing that of the chosen people signals that Jesus’ message would become inclusive of all nations.

Next, he raises back to life the dead son of a widow.  Widows were among the more powerless and helpless in society and her son was probably her sole means of survival.  Jesus’ compassion for the powerless moved him to draw them back into the community.  He then follows this up by declaring that a sinful woman, an outcast to religious elite, is forgiven of her sins.  Jesus models that it is better to show great love than to seek righteousness for one’s self.  Luke then finishes off this section about Jesus’ interaction with women by noting that there were women among the traveling companions and financial supporters of Jesus and the apostles.

With these and several other encounters we see the ever-expanding mission of God.  No one is outside of God’s grace, not even those that society, the church, or even we might seek to exclude.

Apostles, Disciples and Seekers

Week Two - Day 6

Today's Reading -- Luke 5:1 to 6:49

Luke’s version of Jesus calling his followers is different from Matthew’s in several respects.  In Matthew, Jesus calls his first disciples at the very beginning of his ministry:  Peter and his brother Andrew who worked together as fishermen, and the brothers James and John who worked with their father Zebedee.  In Luke, Jesus has already been active in parts of Galilee, and  when he first issues a call for followers there is no mention of Andrew, and it is Peter, James and John who are all working together.

Luke also makes a greater distinction between disciples and apostles.  A “disciple” is anyone who becomes a follower of Jesus.  He is their teacher, their rabbi, who instructs them in the ways of God.  An “apostle” is one who is sent out with authority in the name of the teacher in order to carry on the original message and mission.  Matthew only uses the term “apostles” once (Matthew 10:2) when Jesus specifically names the Twelve.  Luke, on the other hand, uses the term six times in his gospel account to distinguish between the Twelve who have been specially commissioned and growing group of disciples and others who are surrounding Jesus.

We can see this played out when, after a night of prayer on the mountain, Jesus “called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles” (6:13).  Luke then says the Jesus “came down with them (meaning ”the apostles”) and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon” (6:17).   Jesus then delivers his Sermon on the Plain (in contrast to the Sermon on the Mount portrayed in Matthew chapters 5-7), instructing all who are following him of the blessings and woes facing them, on the love of enemies, on judging others, and on actions as the proof of goodness and obedience.

Whether an apostle, disciple, or seeker of God’s ways, there is much to learn from Jesus before taking the next step of faith.

Bear Fruits Worthy of Repentance

Week Two - Day 5

Today's Reading -- Luke 2:39 to Luke 4:44

To follow up a comment I made yesterday regarding Luke’s gospel being geared towards a gentile audience, let me add that this is not to say that Luke was uninformed or uninterested in the continuity of his story with Judaism.  While Matthew often quoted from the Hebrew scriptures to argue for their “fulfillment” in the life of Jesus and his ministry, Luke introduces them for instruction prefaced with the words “it is (or was) written”, a formula used five times in today’s reading (3:4, 4:4, 4:8, 4:10, 4:16), once even by the devil himself.

Also in today’s reading is the only New Testament story of Jesus between his infancy and adulthood (2:41-52).  Only Luke tells of the twelve-year-old Jesus visiting the temple in Jerusalem with his parents.  It is a tantalizing tidbit into Jesus’ possible own self-awareness of the direction his life was to take, and ends the special material that Luke alone uses to introduce the gospel story.

Chapter 3, which some scholars would say is the true beginning of Luke’s account of the gospel, recalls the start of the preaching of John the Baptist.  Luke portrays John as doing more than proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  The crowds press John to know what they must do after he has chastised them and warned them that could not rely upon their view of themselves as children of the great patriarch Abraham to give them any special privileges with God, but must  “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (3:8).  In response John tells people from all walks of life how to live more holy lives within their everyday circumstances.  John’s words to the crowds, tax collectors and soldiers reveal Luke’s attention to social and economic inequities within the community.  Repentance requires a change in behaviors and relationships.

All of this is in preparation for the appearance of Jesus, whose ancestry Luke traces back through and passed Abraham all the way to Adam, and then to God.  Jesus, Son of God (as the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary in chapter 1, verse 35), begins his earthly ministry alone with temptations from the devil, rejection in his hometown, and various stops for healings and teachings.  And he hasn’t even called any disciples to join him, but more on that tomorrow.

Luke: Newborn Hope from Angels and the Holy Spirit

Week Two - Day 4

Today's Reading -- Luke 1:1 to Luke 2:38

Today we begin our reading of the Gospel according to Luke.  Whereas Matthew's gospel has numerous indications that it was written with a Jewish audience in mind, Luke seems geared more to a gentile audience familiar with aspects of the Hellenistic (Greek) world.  The author indicates right up front his intent "to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us" (1:1). and has relied on information that had been passed along by others.  Luke's gospel, then, is clearly looking backwards in time to bring the meaning and understanding of an existing Christian community to the events surrounding the life and witness of Jesus Christ.

Among the many things to note in the opening passages is Luke's repeated use of angels as messengers of God's plans, and the Holy Spirit as the agent behind the seminal events of the gospel narrative:

• The angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah that he will have a son who is to be named John.  John (who we know to be John the Baptist) will be filled with the Holy Spirit (1:15).
• Then, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is to bear a son to be named Jesus, and he will be called the Son of the Most High.  How can this be?  The Holy Spirit will be visited upon Mary (1:35).
• Later, when both Elizabeth and Mary are pregnant, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit as she proclaimed her cousin Mary as blessed among women (1:41).
• The birth and naming of John leads to the loosening of Zechariah's tongue, so much so that he was filled with the Holy Spirit as he spoke the prophecy about the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham (1:67-79).
• After the otherwise quiet birth of Jesus in a stable, an angel announces the good news to the shepherds living in the fields outside Bethlehem, the first persons to be informed of the birth of the Messiah.
• Finally in Jerusalem, an old man by the name of Simeon has been told by the Holy Spirit that he would live to see the Lord's Messiah, and Simeon guided by the Spirit to the temple as Joseph and Mary have brought Jesus to be presented to the Lord (1:25-27).

God is clearly at work setting the stage for the ministry of Jesus, which will not begin publicly for anther 30 years.  That seems a long time to wait, especially in our day when changes seem to come at us fast and furious.   The ways of God, however, are done with more intention, more thought to sound preparation, than the ways of humanity.

From the Garden to the Mountain

Week Two - Day 3

Today's Reading -- Matthew 26:36 to Matthew 28:20

The finale of Matthew's gospel produces a roller coaster of emotions.  It begins late at night in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus prays for strength and the disciples struggle against sleep.  This will be a long night as Jesus is betrayed, arrested, and brought to the house of the high priest.  The question the high priest wants answered is "Are you the Messiah?"  His interest is whether the man standing before him, this Jesus of Nazareth, might actually be the one who would expel the Romans from the land.  If this were true, the priests could get behind Jesus to attain their goal of reestablishing the religious monarchy. Instead, Jesus' words move the high priest to charge him with blasphemy and call for his death.  Jesus is then taken to Pilate, the Roman governor of the region.  The question that Pilate wants answered is, "Are you the King of the Jews?" If this were the case Jesus would be a threat to Pilate's authority and control.  Jesus, however, would not answer any of Pilate's questions.  After Pilate's offer to release Jesus is rebuffed, Jesus is handed over to the Roman soldiers and crucified.  

Matthew's account is meant to answer the questions of the high priest and Pilate.  Throughout, Jesus is the master of the situation.  He is both humble Messiah and King who remains in control of himself and the situation.  As Matthew records it, it is not a death that goes unnoticed as the earth itself shook and is fractured, and the curtain in the Temple that kept the holiest area hidden from view is ripped from top to bottom. The religious foundations of the nation are themselves being shaken, and steps are taken by the chief priests to contain the damage.  Guard the tomb and make sure nothing more happens.  Keep this matter bottled up.  Of course, God is not to be denied or controlled, and on the Sabbath day Jesus is found to have been raised from the dead.  Even the bribing of the guards will not keep the truth from coming out.  God has declared something new to his people, and the center of that message is Jesus. 

The only thing left is for the disciples to be commissioned to spread the Good News.  In a final mountaintop appearance back in Galilee, Matthew has Jesus deliver his charge to the disciples to go to all nations, baptize believers in the name of the Triune God, and teach all that they have received.  As the church has received it this is to be done, with Jesus ever-present, until the end of the age.

It is a commission with which we still strive today, for the call to the kingdom of God knows no time or place.

“I Will Not Deny You”

Week Two - Day 2

Today's Reading -- Matthew 24:1 to Matthew 26:35

The public teachings and healings of Jesus came to an end with the close of chapter 23. Jesus has done all that he could to speak and witness openly of the kingdom of God to all who listen.  He has met every challenge from the religious authorities and parties within Israel.  His attention is now turned to the private instruction of his disciples.  I can’t imagine they liked everything that Jesus revealed to them: signs of the end times; the persecutions, torture and death they will face; unexpected separations within the community; and God’s final gathering of the faithful into heaven.

Okay, maybe they liked the sound of that last one, but what’s the rush? The disciples have Jesus with them now, and probably hoped they would for years to come.  After all, they were all now in Jerusalem, the center of their world, and Jesus seems to have faced down his opposition and gained the upper hand.  This could be just the beginning of something grand.  Opposition to Jesus was organizing, however, and was able to take advantage of the doubts of an insider.  Judas Iscariot has grown disenchanted or frightened by recent events and looks for a way out, playing right into the hands of the chief priests, the ones who seem most angry with Jesus.

Meanwhile, Jesus gathers for what will be his last meal with the disciples prior to his arrest and crucifixion.  It is a high moment of drama as Jesus offers his body and blood, not only to the disciples but also “for many for the forgiveness of sins” (26:28).  Even though Peter pledges his undying loyalty (“I will not deny you” he boldly declares), he will learn that it takes more than words to be a follower of Jesus - something for all of us to keep in mind.

Woe To You...Hypocrites!

Week Two - Day 1

Today's Reading -- Matthew 21:18 to Matthew 23:39

Yesterday, Jesus had a big first day in Jerusalem.  First he made his triumphal entry riding on a donkey as the crowds shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!"  Then he set about putting things right at the temple, driving out the merchants and money-changers before turning his attention to healing the blind and the lame.  Jesus then headed out to Bethany, a short walk up and over the Mount of Olives, for a good night's rest.

He was to need it, for the next day he faced multiple challenges to his authority, this teachings, his commitment to the nation of Israel, and his theology.  It seemed like every religious group within Judaism was waiting to take a crack at him.  The chief priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the scribes all tried to trip him up.  And Jesus did not gain himself any friends from within these groups as his parables attacked them as unwilling to listen or to respond to the invitation to participate and celebrate with God.

Then, Jesus turns things around as he launches into a series of even "woes" against the scribes and Pharisees (chapter 23).   Seven "woes" and six "hypocrites!" later, there can be no lingering doubt that Jesus is challenging their teaching, practices, compassion and pride.  All of this, Jesus laments, is being played out in the holy city Jerusalem.

You might think that all of this was enough for one day; but we shall see that Jesus has much more to do withdrawing once more to Bethany.